Bharati Mukherjee Essay, Research Paper

1. As conveyed in the story, every culture has its own method and style of communication and dealing with different situations. In ?The Management of Grief,? individuals do not connect with one another in order to deal with the plane incident and the loss of loved ones as well as they could. Dealing with death is a difficult process for people with similar backgrounds; even relatives often struggle with such discussions. As illustrated in the story, communication difficulty increases when people from different cultures and with varying frames of reference attempt to work together or express feelings. Judith Templeton?s interaction with the Sikh couple exemplifies this difficulty. Judith Templeton tries to help the Sikh couple become more stable, but she does not know how to communicate with them. There is a language barrier and a cultural barrier; thus Judith Templeton cannot reach them on a personal level. The communication difficulty results in an unproductive visit. In the workplace, such an environment would result in low productivity and low employee morale. In order to accomplish goals and work as a team, people must be able to communicate and understand each other.

2. Many of the stages of multicultural transformation are exhibited in ?The Management of Grief.? For example, Judith Templeton has moved beyond the ?Denial? stage but she is caught in the ?Defensive? or ?Minimization? stages. She does not fully understand the differences in people and in the ways they deal with death. She believes there is one ?best? way to cope with death and tries to help people in that way, thereby not connecting with some people at all. She recognizes ?surface similarities? while trivializing ?deep differences.? She misunderstands the Sikhs? response to her help as ??stubbornness and ignorance?? (Mukherjee 348). ?In contrast, Mrs. Bhave has advanced farther along the multicultural transformation spectrum. She possesses an ?Acceptance/Adaptation? approach to the ways different people deal with death. This approach is evident when she says, ??We must all grieve in our own way?? (Mukherjee 337). She realizes people are different and values those differences. Her interaction with the Sikh couple also displays this understanding and appreciation. As opposed to Judith Templeton?s opinion of the Sikhs, Mrs. Bhave understands that ??it is a parent?s duty to hope? (Mukherjee 348).

3. The airline?s communication with the bereaved families would have been improved if a trained specialist with multicultural experience could have assisted the families. Truly helping the families involves understanding, valuing, and appreciating cultural differences. The liaison between the airline and the families in distress should not expect everyone to handle the situation in the same manner and should realize that there is not one ?perfect? way for different people to react.

1. As conveyed in the story, every culture has its own method and style of communication and dealing with different situations. In ?The Management of Grief,? individuals do not connect with one another in order to deal with the plane incident and the loss of loved ones as well as they could. Dealing with death is a difficult process for people with similar backgrounds; even relatives often struggle with such discussions. As illustrated in the story, communication difficulty increases when people from different cultures and with varying frames of reference attempt to work together or express feelings. Judith Templeton?s interaction with the Sikh couple exemplifies this difficulty. Judith Templeton tries to help the Sikh couple become more stable, but she does not know how to communicate with them. There is a language barrier and a cultural barrier; thus Judith Templeton cannot reach them on a personal level. The communication difficulty results in an unproductive visit. In the workplace, such an environment would result in low productivity and low employee morale. In order to accomplish goals and work as a team, people must be able to communicate and understand each other.

2. Many of the stages of multicultural transformation are exhibited in ?The Management of Grief.? For example, Judith Templeton has moved beyond the ?Denial? stage but she is caught in the ?Defensive? or ?Minimization? stages. She does not fully understand the differences in people and in the ways they deal with death. She believes there is one ?best? way to cope with death and tries to help people in that way, thereby not connecting with some people at all. She recognizes ?surface similarities? while trivializing ?deep differences.? She misunderstands the Sikhs? response to her help as ??stubbornness and ignorance?? (Mukherjee 348). ?In contrast, Mrs. Bhave has advanced farther along the multicultural transformation spectrum. She possesses an ?Acceptance/Adaptation? approach to the ways different people deal with death. This approach is evident when she says, ??We must all grieve in our own way?? (Mukherjee 337). She realizes people are different and values those differences. Her interaction with the Sikh couple also displays this understanding and appreciation. As opposed to Judith Templeton?s opinion of the Sikhs, Mrs. Bhave understands that ??it is a parent?s duty to hope? (Mukherjee 348).

3. The airline?s communication with the bereaved families would have been improved if a trained specialist with multicultural experience could have assisted the families. Truly helping the families involves understanding, valuing, and appreciating cultural differences. The liaison between the airline and the families in distress should not expect everyone to handle the situation in the same manner and should realize that there is not one ?perfect? way for different people to react.